posted at 11:55 am on August 31, 2007 by Allahpundit

Just across on Fox. Not a surprise; he told Hugh Hewitt a few weeks ago that it was coming, ostensibly because his paycheck isn’t enough to support his family in the manner they deserve but probably because he’s just exhausted from having to spin Bush’s crap.

This is the first recent defection I’m actually sorry about. We simply must nab him for Vent.

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

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With his health condition he needs to make some serious bank for his family. I hope he gets all he deserves and then some. He’s one of the good guy for sure. It was sad though to see him spin the shamnesty bill.

God Bless and Keep you Tony. I hope you get back into the Press Room soon so you can badger some other poor schlock, just for the fun of it. Maybe they would give you Helen’s seat. Now that would be worth it, eh?

AP, I agree. You just got to bug the Boss to get him on a Vent. That would be a gem. Maybe she could entice him with an I-Phone? Just a thought…

Michelle, i’d just love to see you smack down David Gregory and Helen Thomas a few times. How about as an interim?

roninacreage on August 31, 2007 at 12:05 PM

While seeing her blast David Gregory and Helen Thomas a few times would be delicious I somehow suspect Michelle couldn’t force herself to carry water for anyone short of Jesus Christ even if she wanted to. It’s that honesty and integrity thing she has going…

I would LOVE to see MM take his place even if only for a day. She could tell it like it REALLY is with no spin. She could b!tch-slap Helen Thomas, Gregory, and a few others into oblivion. I would PAY to see that. LOL!

MM is a great blogger and has a wonderful gig. I would like to see her have her own show, even if only one nite a week. She is a welcomed voice of reality.

True that! I imagine we’ll see Tony back on TV and hear him back on the radio. It’ll be interesting to hear what he has to say about his time on the inside (if much). We may have to wait until Feb., 2009 or later for the full story.

I don’t know if Tony will ever be willing to be truly honest about this experience as water carrier for GWB, but I imagine it’s been excrutiating in many ways for him. I can’t imagine wanting that job.

If (and hopefully when) he does, I want to know all the inside info on what he REALLY thought about the shamnesty debacle.

One thing I didn’t like was hearing him get trashed by a local radio personality. Rick Roberts, talk show host for San Diego’s 760 KFMB AM, whom I normally am totally onboard with, said that the Bush administration was pulling a “Snow job” over us on immigration. Say what you will about the administration, but I didn’t like hearing Tony’s name dragged through the mud, when all he can do is essentially say what the President wants him to say.

He is not looking good. I think his medical situation is doubling up on him. I wish him God’s grace and hope he can overcome it but, being the press sec. for another 16 months is probably not in his best interest.

One thing I didn’t like was hearing him get trashed by a local radio personality. Rick Roberts, talk show host for San Diego’s 760 KFMB AM, whom I normally am totally onboard with, said that the Bush administration was pulling a “Snow job” over us on immigration. Say what you will about the administration, but I didn’t like hearing Tony’s name dragged through the mud, when all he can do is essentially say what the President wants him to say.

I eagerly await his return to us.

Hawkins1701 on August 31, 2007 at 12:32 PM

Yea, Rick pissed me off with that as well. Sadly Rick wasnt the only one who went with the Snowman cr@p, there were quite a few on both sides of the Ilse that took personal shots at Tony for doing his job. His job was to get the Bush administrations message out, not to get Tony Snow’s personal ideology out. We may never know what Tony’s personal opinions were, but personally I don’t care to hear them unless Tony feels comfortable discussing them. The man had a job to do and he did it very professionally and for that I respect him.

He is not looking good. I think his medical situation is doubling up on him. I wish him God’s grace and hope he can overcome it but, being the press sec. for another 16 months is probably not in his best interest.

Amen to that, Babs. My dad died from colon cancer a year ago and when I saw Tony on TV the other day the first thing that came to mind was, “Wow, he’s starting to look like Dad did when he started going downhill.” Hope that’s not the case.

Michelle, I think Tony knows how important this website is to conservatives. I’d be willing to bet a simple telephone call from you to him would be enough to set up a time for an in-depth interview… I think he would enjoy doing an interview you for Hot Air.

I don’t know what other matters are at play here, though. Cancer treatments, etc.

amerpundit on August 31, 2007 at 12:42 PM

No one would’ve questioned it had he decided to leave to concentrate on his recovery. Yes, he made significantly more money at Fox, but when you say that your $165,000 salary isn’t enough to support your family (most families get by on a fraction of that) you sound a bit materialistic and shallow. He knew what the salary was when he took the job.

Why? Have we alienated him somehow?
Allahpundit on August 31, 2007 at 12:03 PM

Toni Snowflake alienated himself on the Hugh Hewitt radio show by saying Michelle has said “some awful things about me that she knows aren’t true” transcript archived here:

HH: Now Michelle Malkin wrote this morning that your comments this morning were, “out of touch with reality,” because you’re happy talk here. Are you out of touch with reality on the prospects for this bill?

TS: No, look, Michelle has also attributed, said perfectly awful things about me that she knows aren’t true. The fact is that I’m not out of touch with reality. If you take a look at what’s going on in the Hill, it’s pretty clear that there are a lot of people with their sleeves rolled up, and who believe as you and Michelle and others do, that we’ve got a mess here, and you aren’t going to change the mess unless you change the law.

Michelle said awful things that aren’t true?!!

And then Toni goes on the Sean Hannity radio show and accuses Sean of being condescending when Sean was simply pointing out that he (Toni) was being condescending!!!

What happened to this Snowflake?

And the best part.. I’m leaving for last…. Toni Snowflake has raised the bar for family G-rated media spot programing archived here.

HH: I believe that, but I do believe it’s got to be changed from what it was last week, and radically so. And do you think folks like me who are willing to believe in regularization are going to be satisfied at the end of this, Tony Snow?

TS: Well, we’re going to have to…look, Hugh, I still have not figured out exactly where your G spot is. So…

HH: 3,000 miles an hour, Tony

I am always happy when the someone in government sets the record straight for what is a family program.

Why? Because you couldn’t shape your comments and press management to fit the President’s agenda? Or because you feel ill-fit, somehow, for the job?

I think you’d be great at it, and I think you’d be quite capable of managing the job on both counts. You’re well-qualified…and it would be great sport to watch you spar with the uniformly leftist ninnies in the chairs.

But then there’s that inconvenient National Security Act/Non-Disclosure paperwork…

Yes, he made significantly more money at Fox, but when you say that your $165,000 salary isn’t enough to support your family (most families get by on a fraction of that) you sound a bit materialistic and shallow. He knew what the salary was when he took the job.
Hollowpoint on August 31, 2007 at 1:03 PM

That was probably just the excuse given. I think he would rather take the hit than say something negative about the administration while working there.

Start with Michelle behind the podium in the Press Room (Brian’s got that blue/green screen mojo going…). She opens the floor to questions, cut to David Gregory asking a question (aka giving a speech). Cut back to Michelle who answers it the way it should be answered instead of the way an actual Press Secretary would have to answer it…

He’s a good man, and I wish him well. I’m sure that Fox News will accommodate him if he wishes to return to his old network.

Doug on August 31, 2007 at 12:52 PM

He can replace Geraldo, who really, really needs to go.

As for why Snow is leaving, I think it’s his health more than money issues, but he probably doesn’t want to dwell on that or have to answer more questions than necessary on his personal struggle, and wants some privacy.

I really do think Tony Snow is a class act. My family will keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers. Our country really needs people like Tony.
All the best, Tony Snow. I hope to see you soon.

Don’t blame him for leaving. He is looking pretty run down between the job and fighting cancer. Just lost a relative to cancer recently. He was only sixty and the last couple of years were hard to watch.
Snow probably needs the slower pace to adequately fight the cancer.
He was my favorite on Fox followed by Bill Kristol and Wallace.

God Bless you Tony ! Does not matter what others think, God is still able to Bless. I hope that you’re faith is there and that you are continuing to reject doubt and unbelief. Stay strong and stay in the scriptures. Love is a choice not touchy feel crap. Unlike most on here who do not understand love, you just accept. God Bless!

Saw him recently with Brian Lamb for an hour on C-Span. Wish it weren’t so but he looked/sounded very, very tired and exhausted. Of course it’s understandable, given the treatment. The job is too much for a healthy individual…

Defection? Good grief, just compare the May photo above to the August photo on your own front page. Tony Snow is a very sick man. I suspect he’s got his own reasons for insisting his decision is unrelated to cancer, which is sure what looking to make the most $$ in the shortest amount of time, while doing cancer advocacy on the side, suggests.

Even taking his assertions at face value, however, what interests me is that you so casually assume that he’s defecting politically rather than departing for personal rather than reasons. Are we projecting?

What’s so implausible about the idea that he decided he could be more effective and make more money doing appearances of a different sort? He’s at an age when folks typically take stock of where they are, where they’ve been, and where they want to end up. It was critically important to give this Administration a better model of what a decent Press Secretary can do for you if you’ll let him, but other than that, sticking it out till Jan ’09 would just be a massive waste of talent — at a time when the skills he can’t deploy as Administration-flack-in-chief are sorely needed in the public sphere. He’s in a position to call the shots & build an influential position for himself now in ways that just won’t be possible as a political has-been 18 months from now.

Tony Snow is a class act. He always has a smile on even with the cancer – that demonstrates courage. And on another note, I wish Michelle would be on the O’reilly factor more often, much more pleasant to look at even though I always watch the O’reilly factor.

Maybe as a man with children and a history of health problems, he is taking the long view trying to earn and save enough to secure their future should the worst happen.

And frankly, he looks like hell. I’m afraid things might not be going his way disease-wise. I don’t have the link handy but there’s a great interview with him by David Gregory (yes, that David Gregory) where he talks about being past the heavy treatment and on to the less toxic maintenance stuff.

He had much more hair there, which tells me that the cancer is back and he’s back on the heavy hitters. Which is a damned shame. Tony is a great guy, and this administration should have hired him 6 years ago.

I love Michelle, but she’s no Tony Snow and she’s no WH Press Secretary. Dana Perino is excellent and will do a very fine job… I wish Tony nothing but better health and peace in his life. He’s a great man.

I’d love to go over to HuffPo and find “BostonGreen,” assuming he’s in the same city as I… and call him out so I can beat the you-know-what out of him for his comments about Tony Snow. Those people over there all need a serious beating.